Acta biochimica et biophysica Sinica
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Acta Biochim. Biophys. Sin. (Shanghai) · Apr 2006
Neuroprotection of insulin against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in cultured retinal neurons: involvement of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signal pathway.
In order to investigate the neuroprotection of insulin in retinal neurons, we used retinal neuronal culture as a model system to study the protective effects of insulin against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic death. Primary retinal neuronal cultures were grown from retinas of 0-2-day old Sprague-Dawley rats. Cell viability was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. ⋯ Pretreatment with LY294002, a specific PI3K inhibitor, abolished the cytoprotective effect of insulin. Insulin also strongly activated both PI3K and the downstream effector Akt. These results suggest that insulin protects retinal neurons from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and that the PI3K/Akt signal pathway is involved in insulin-mediated retinal neuroprotection.